Busy day of indoor track at Millrose, Arkansas, UW, New Mexico & Idaho...
It's not too often that the pros take the lead on a busy final weekend in January, but with world championships being contested both indoors and outdoors in 2022, this is where we're at!
MILLROSE GAMES
The fireworks began as former Renton resident Devon Allen (Paul Merca photo) took command on the penultimate hurdle to win the men's 60 meter hurdles in a world leading 7.51.
In the Wanamaker Mile, Josh Kerr of the Brooks Beasts finished second in a personal best 3:52.27, as Ollie Hoare of Australia ran to a world leading time and national record 3:50.83.
UW volunteer coach Sam Prakel was fourth in 3:55.73, while Johnny Gregorek, who is being coached remotely this season by Husky coach Andy Powell was fifth in 3:55.93. Kerr's training partner Henry Wynne was 11th in 4:03.00.
Former Pullman resident and reigning Olympic champion Katie Nageotte was third in the pole vault at 14-3.25/4.35m, as Sandi Morris won with a world leading mark of 15-7/4.75m.
Isaiah Harris of the Brooks Beasts made his debut with a third place finish, as the Penn State alum ran 1:46.49, as Kansas alum Bryce Hoppel took the win in 1:46.05.
Two weeks after winning the mile at the UW Indoor Preview, Snohomish native and British Olympian Amy-Eloise Markovc finished fourth in the 3000 meters.
The reigning European champion at this distance ran 8:49.49, as Wisconsin alum Alicia Monson ran a world leading time and meet record 8:31.62.
Marta Pen Freitas of the Brooks Beasts was eighth in a personal best 8:56.31, while teammate Allie Buchalski was tenth in 8:58.46.
Nia Akins of the Brooks Beasts was seventh in the 800 in 2:08.56, as Ajee' Wilson won in 2:01.38.
Vancouver's Daniel Nehnevaj was third in the men's 3000 walk in 12:08.48, while Mountlake Terrace resident and two-time world championships team member Katie Burnett was also third in the women's 3000 walk in 13:58.63. Both races served as the USATF national championship races at that distance.
Complete results of the Millrose Games are available here.
RAZORBACK INVITATIONAL
The biggest surprise of this busy Saturday came at the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas, as Olympia native Brooke Feldmeier (Paul Merca photo) ran an out-of-the-blue 2:00.92 to win the 800.
Feldmeier, who did not get out of the first round at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, popped the 2:00.92 to obliterate her previous all-time best of 2:01.54, set at the 2017 NCAA championships in Eugene, as well as her indoor best of 2:04.28, set two years ago in Boston.
She moved ahead of Ajee' Wilson's US leading mark of 2:01.38, set earlier in the day in winning the Millrose 800 in New York.
Results of the Razorback Invitational are available here.
UW INVITATIONAL
In Seattle, British Olympian Jake Heyward, who was ninth in the finals of the 1500 at last year's Tokyo Olympics, cruised to victory in the men's mile to highlight competition at the UW Invitational at the Dempsey Indoor.
Heyward set a UW Invitational meet record of 3:53.25, under the previous time of 3:55.75 set by Chris Solinsky twelve years ago.
In all, nine men got under 4 minutes--six in the featured race, and three others in the previous heat, extending the Dempsey's record to 239 in the 20 years of racing at the facility.
Lake Washington HS alum Dillon Maggard continued his hot early season stretch of racing, as he won the men's 3000 in 7:47.20.
In that section, Luke Houser of the Huskies was third in 7:52.84, while Gonzaga's James Mwaura ran 7:54.50 for 4th, and Washington State's Colton Johnsen ran 7:54.78 to take 5th.
Washington alum Eleanor Fulton won the women's 3000, running solo the last few laps in a time of 8:56.75.
The Huskies produced five winners: Carley Thomas and Cass Elliott in the 800s; Makenna Barton in the pole vault; and Sam Van Peursem and Makayla Kelby in the shot puts.
Notable GNAC winners at the UW Invitational included Central Washington's Austin Albertin, who won the 400 in 49.21, and Western Washington's Ethan Sterkel, who took the men's long jump at 23-9.5/7.25m.
Complete results of the UW Invitational are available here.
NEW MEXICO TEAM OPEN
In Albuquerque, New Mexico, David Ribich of the Brooks Beasts won the mile at 4:00.03 to highlight competition at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
While the rest of the Brooks Beasts were in New York at the Millrose Games, a small group stayed at their winter home in Albuquerque while going through their annual high altitude training camp.
Ribich's winning time, while well short of his all time best of 3:57.83, bodes well for what's to come in the next few months, especially running at altitude, where racing distances beyond 800 meters puts runners at a disadvantage because of the thin air.
Brannon Kidder of the Beasts won the invitational 800 in 1:49.39 in essentially an intrasquad race.
Mitch Jacobson of WSU won the men's high jump at 6-11 (2.11m), while Anna Rodgers of the Cougs finished fourth in the women's long jump at 19-9 (6.02m) for the top women's mark on the day, as the Cougs sent their sprinters, jumpers, and throwers to New Mexico.
Results of the New Mexico Team Open are available here, while Washington State's release is available here.
IDAHO TEAM CHALLENGE
Eastern Washington's women's team finished second behind host Idaho's 96.5 with 91 points, while its men's team finished third behind Idaho's 115.5 and Montana's 80.5 with 78 points at the Idaho Team Challenge meet at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow.
Joe Gauthier of the Eagles had the top performance on the day, as he set a school record in the 60 meter dash, running 6.68 for the win. This time also places him in first in the Eastern Washington all-time top-ten record book where he improved his previous personal best of 6.77.
In the process, Gauthier broke Johnnie Williams' previous school record of 6.75 set in 1999.
"It's very satisfying to see the whole team celebrate great performances like the ones we witnessed today. School records are rare and being in-person to watch Gauthier break the 60-meter record will be a lifetime memory for our team," explained men's head coach Stan Kerr.
On the women's side, NCAA outdoor qualifier Morgan Fossen led an Eagle 1-4 sweep of the pole vault, as she cleared 13-1.5/4.00m.
Results of the Idaho Team Challenge are available here, while Eastern Washington's recap is available here.
NOTE: The Millrose Games, and the sports information offices of the University of Arkansas, University of Washington, Eastern Washington University, University of New Mexico, Washington State University, and the University of Idaho contributed to this report.
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